'Game Of Thrones' to return with longer episodes

The next series of Game Of Thrones will be "super-sized", say showrunners David Benioff and Dan Weiss.

Season three of the HBO fantasy show will feature 10 individual episodes - the same number as seasons one and two - but each episode will last slightly longer.

Talking to Entertainment Weekly, Weiss explained: "There's almost another full episode's worth of extra minutes spread across the season. One of the great liberties with HBO is we're not forced to come in at a specific time. We can’t be under 50 minutes or over 60, but that gives us a lot of flexibility."

Echoing his partner, Benioff promised a "super-sized season", then added: "Last year we had a lot of 52-minute episodes. This year is a lot of 56, 57."

The pair also revealed that the season finale may run over an hour, prompting Weiss to conclude: "So for people clamouring for another episode, it's in there. It's just been cut into tiny pieces."

Season three will begin on HBO in the US on March 31, 2013. In the UK, Game Of Thrones airs on Sky Atlantic and the show's return date has yet to be announced. Guest stars during the new run will include Coldplay's Will Champion, confirmed to be playing a drummer, and Gary Lightbody from Snow Patrol, whose role is unknown.